Netherlandshttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/16177/all
eniPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' Open in the Netherlandshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/ipadonly_steve_jobs_schools_open_netherlands
<!--paging_filter--><p>Apple's long been known for its commitment to educational institutions, but starting today, seven schools in the Netherlands are taking that focus on education to a whole new level. These so-called "Steve Jobs schools" emphasize the use of the iPad in an elementary school environment, with an emphasis on giving students everything they need to start their education on the popular tablet.</p><p>As <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/21/first-seven-ipad-only-steve-jobs-schools-open-in-the-netherlands/" target="_blank">MacRumors </a>reports, the initiative is known as <a href="http://www.educationforanewera.com/" target="_blank">O4NT</a>, or <em>Onderwijs voor een nieuwe tijd</em> (Education for a new era), and it aims to help students "develop information and communication technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and creative mind." The first schools opened in the cities of Amsterdam, Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, and Heenvliet.</p><p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/72815459" width="620" height="392" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/72815459">Basics of Steve JobsSchool.</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user20244954">Steve JobsSchool</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>In <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/dutch_steve_jobs_schools_use_ipads_replace_traditional_schools" target="_blank">our previous coverage</a>&nbsp;from July, we mentioned that <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-learning-from-a-tablet-fotostrecke-98547-2.html" target="_blank">Spiegel </a>outlined a surprisingly open approach to education at the school, one that would probably get a rough reception over here in the States. "Steve Jobs Schools" see teachers as more akin to "coaches," and they let students decide what courses they want to take and when they want to since the educational experience takes place on the iPad itself.</p><p>Students still have to come in for classes, but they're only required to do so for a couple of hours. The true crux of the experience rests on evaluations that occur with the coaches and parents every six weeks to check the child's progress. The Dutch experiment marks only the beginning of a wider rollout of the program called O4NT International, which is expected to make its way to other countries early next year.</p><p><em> Follow this article's writer, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeifJohnson" target="_blank">Leif Johnson</a>, on Twitter.</em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/ipadonly_steve_jobs_schools_open_netherlands#commentsNewscurriculumDutchEducationiPadNetherlandsschoolsteachingWed, 21 Aug 2013 22:58:01 +0000Leif Johnson17838 at http://www.maclife.comDutch 'Steve Jobs Schools' to Use iPads to Replace Traditional Schoolshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/dutch_steve_jobs_schools_use_ipads_replace_traditional_schools
<!--paging_filter--><p>Over the last couple of weeks, we've had ample opportunities to discuss Apple's long-running relationship with the educational sphere, ranging from <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_slashes_price_13inch_macbook_pro_students" target="_blank">discounts on MacBook Pros</a> to gift cards for students<a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_offer_itunes_gift_cards_iphone_purchases_students" target="_blank"> who purchase iPhones</a>. As reported by <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-learning-from-a-tablet-fotostrecke-98547-2.html" target="_blank">Spiegel </a>(via <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/07/02/dutch-steve-jobs-schools-to-use-apples-ipad-for-entire-education-experience" target="_blank">AppleInsider)</a>, however, the Dutch have taken that relationship to an entirely new level. Beginning in August, 11 "Steve Jobs schools" will open throughout the Netherlands, presenting an educational experience that's based entirely on the iPad. And here we thought <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/los_angeles_school_district_approves_30_million_deal_ipads" target="_blank">supplying iPads to kids in 47 Los Angeles schools</a> was a big deal.</p><p>Keep in mind that this isn't merely a case of switching out traditional notebooks and binders for iPads, much as we saw in L.A. According to Spiegel, the program will do away with most schedules and classes in favor of letting children aged four through 12 access educational programs of their own choosing and at their own pace. Knowing children (and having been one), the program seems a little too open-ended for its own good. Indeed, teachers will only exist as "learning coaches" and students will be able to complete their homework whenever they choose.</p><p><img src="/files/u334114/2013/07/ipad4.jpg" width="620" height="369" /></p><p>Still, students are expected to show up, at least for a little while. Based on Spiegel's profile of a Steve Jobs school in the town of Breda, the schools will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day, although students are only expected to stick around from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Students, their parents, and their teachers (erm, learning coaches) will then meet up every six weeks to discuss how well the student's progressing to the next level. Apparently the devices also include software that lets parents and learning coaches know if a child is really working or just trying to unlock the next stage on Candy Crush Saga. But even if they are, apparently that's not a problem. In Spiegel's words, "If a child would rather play on his or her iPad instead of learning, it'll be okay."</p><p>It's possible that the Dutch simply have a mind-boggling sense of self control that we rarely see, but the concept of a Steve Jobs school sounds like it'd be a disaster here on this side of the pond. But apparently the Dutch have a lot of confidence in the system. If all goes well, according to Maurice de Hond (who also cooked up the concept), we'll see around 40 Steve Jobs schools in the Netherlands next year, each publicly funded and offering subsidies to parents who can't pay for iPads.</p><p><em> Follow this article's writer, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeifJohnson" target="_blank">Leif Johnson</a>, on Twitter.</em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/dutch_steve_jobs_schools_use_ipads_replace_traditional_schools#commentsNewsDutchEducationiPadlearningNetherlandsSteve Jobs SchoolsTue, 02 Jul 2013 21:04:55 +0000Leif Johnson17427 at http://www.maclife.com